BUTTON MANAGER INFORMATION ========================== Welcome to Button Manager Pro for Windows! The topics listed below are discussed within this file, and more information is available in the other text files included with this document (Section 3 describes what is contained within each of the files). Note that ALL this information is located within the Button Manager Help file, which can be accessed by executing it within Windows. 1. INTRODUCTION TO BUTTON MANAGER FOR WINDOWS 2. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS A) MANUAL INSTALLATION B) DISTRIBUTION KIT INSTALLATION 3. REQUIRED FILES 4. REGISTRATION A) BY CREDIT CARD B) VIA COMPUSERVE C) BY CONTACTING US 5. CONTACTING US 1. INTRODUCTION TO BUTTON MANAGER FOR WINDOWS =============================================== Welcome to Button Manager, an application which provides the windows user with more control over their Windows workspace. This application is best-suited for those people who are tired of hunting for applications in Program Manager, and want to have their favourite applications at their fingertips. Button Manager allows you to organise your favourite applications into groups of buttons (defaults to Program Manager Groups), and instantly launch any of the applications at the touch of a button. This application allows you to manage your Program Manager application groups as button sets, which can each be resized, reconfigured, minimized, moved, and arranged in the way that best suits your needs. For those cases where a set of buttons should always be available, you can even force the group to float on top of all other applications. Each button displays the icon associated with the application that will be launched when it is pressed. Additionally, if the button help option is selected, the user will be shown the application details when the mouse crosses over the button. And, further to the topic of HELP, context-sensitive help is available from anywhere in the application by pressing F1. Instead of replacing the functionality of Program Manager, as other applications do, this application compliments it. The advantage here is that the application groups can be maintained in one place so that no matter what changes are made within Program Manager, the same changes will automatically be reflected in Button Manager. However, unlike Program Manager, you can limit the amount of information you see by displaying only those groups that interest you most. Button Manager also provides the ability to search and sort the list of buttons that are currently active (in a textual list), so that you may more easily find those applications that "just seem to be misplaced". This list provides detailed property information for the buttons, which is far more convenient than looking up each button individually using Program Manager. Additionally, Button Manager remembers your setup from run-to- run. Therefore, you could, for instance, "load" groups of buttons around the perimeter of your screen the first time you start Button Manager. Then, every time you start up Button Manager the same groups would be loaded in the same location and shape. This option provides the most power when Button Manager is added to the STARTUP group in Program Manager. In this instance, your same application workspace would be loaded automatically every time you start Windows. Button Manager is fairly intuitive to use, but context-sensitive help has been provided for the application to make it even easier to use. Also, a drop-down menu will appear on the button groups when you right-click on any button in that group. This menu provides access to the most commonly used functions, such as exiting windows, searching for applications, configuring the environment, and the like. We hope that you find this product as beneficial as we have. If you do, we ask that you please support shareware by registering this product. Registered users receive a disk of the current version of the product, a license that applies to any future version of the program, no registration reminder screens, and unlimited technical support via e-mail, mail, phone, and fax. 2. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS ============================== To install this application, it is necessary to determine which set of files you have. If one of the files is SETUP.EXE or INSTALL.EXE, then refer to the INSTALLATION KIT INSTALL process documented below. Otherwise, please refer to the MANUAL INSTALLATION discussion (note that registered users receive the full installation kit on disk, if they elect to have a disk sent to them). When you perform the installation, please ensure that no other Windows applications are running at the same time. If another program is using a DLL the installation kit wants to install, then it won’t be able to complete the installation process for that file (it will tell you this). As a result, when you go to run Button Manager, it will not work. If this does happen, simply stop the other Windows applications and re-install Button Manager. DISTRIBUTION KIT INSTALLATION The distribution kit contains all the files required to automatically set up and run the application. When the product is registered, this is the type of kit the user receives when they order disks. It will install all files and create the appropriate Program Manager groups by just typing SETUP. An alternate size-conscious kit is distributed which does not install the VBRUN300.DLL file, as most people have this file on their machine (the size-conscious kit can be recognized easily because the installation program is called INSTALL.EXE, not SETUP.EXE). The installation program will do all the same things that SETUP will do, except it will not install the extra file. If you do not have this file in your windows system directory, it can easily be downloaded from most BBSs. Alternatively, the full kit can be mailed to you on disk when you register the product. Once installed, the files that are moved to the installation directory on the hard drive include: BTNMGR.EXE The Button Manager program BTNMGR.HLP The context-sensitive Windows Help file FILE_ID.DIZ The information for the BBSs LICENSE.TXT The license and warranty information README.TXT Introductory information about the product REGISTER.TXT The registration form VENDOR.TXT The vendor-specific information The files that are moved to the Windows System Area include the following two files (THEREFORE, IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO JUST COPY THE INSTALLATION DIRECTORY TO PASS THE SOFTWARE ON TO SOMEONE ELSE!) THREED.VBX Used for the 3D controls VBRUN300.DLL Run-Time module, needed to make everything work (not included in the size-conscious kit) MANUAL INSTALLATION If you do not have a file called SETUP.EXE or INSTALL.EXE, then you will need to perform a manual installation of the files. This is fairly simple, and requires the following steps: 1. First, look to see if you have the Visual Basic runtime file (VBRUN300.DLL) included with the set of files. Sometimes, a BBS may exclude this file from the set you have, to save on space. Assuming this is the case, and you do not already have the file in the windows \SYSTEM directory (eg. d:\WIN31\SYSTEM\VBRUN300.DLL), you will need to download this file as well. It is available from most bulletin boards. Alternatively, you could register the product and receive all files on a single disk in the DISTRIBUTION KIT INSTALLATION format, described above. 2. Create a directory in which you would like to store the files (i.e. C:\BTNMGR). 3. Store the files in the directory you just created (this will require that the files be decompressed using the PKUNZIP utility if you downloaded from a BBS). 4. Move THREED.VBX and VBRUN300.DLL into the windows \SYSTEM directory. 5. Finally, set up an icon for the BTNMGR.EXE application in the STARTUP group of the windows Program Manager. Please consult the Button Manager help file under TIPS: Startup Group, if you are unfamiliar with how this is done. 3. REQUIRED FILES =================== As described in the Installation Instructions Section, there are two versions of this product that are distributed. Depending on which kit you have, there will be a different set of required files. The DISTRIBUTION KIT contains all the required files, and allows the application to be installed by just typing SETUP. This is always the kit that is distributed to registered users. A smaller distribution kit is also distributed, which performs a complete install with the exception of the large VBRUN300.DLL file (which most people already have on their machine, and can be obtained from most BBSs). This kit can be distinguished from the other distribution kit by the fact that the setup program is called INSTALL.EXE, not SETUP.EXE. The MANUAL INSTALLATION KIT contains only the bare minimum required files, and requires manual installation. The only way you would have this set of files is if someone uploaded the Button Manager files instead of the Distribution Kit. Please do not distribute the files this way if you can distribute the DISTRIBUTION KIT instead, as a manual installation takes more work than having someone just run the installation program. DISTRIBUTION KIT REQUIRED FILES FILE_ID.DIZ The information for the BBSs LICENSE.TXT The license and warranty information README.TXT Introductory information about the product REGISTER.TXT The registration form SETUP.EXE Setup Program. SETUP is full version (or INSTALL.EXE) containing the VBRUN300.DLL file, INSTALL is the size-conscious version which does not contain that file. VENDOR.TXT The vendor-specific information MANUAL INSTALLATION KIT REQUIRED FILES BTNMGR.EXE The Button Manager program BTNMGR.HLP The context-sensitive Windows Help file FILE_ID.DIZ The information for the BBSs LICENSE.TXT The license and warranty information README.TXT Introductory information about the product REGISTER.TXT The registration form VENDOR.TXT The vendor-specific information THREED.VBX Used for the 3D controls VBRUN300.DLL The Visual Basic run-time module 4. REGISTRATION ================= The process of registering this product is very simple, and can be done by credit card (phone, fax, e-mail or mail), via CompuServe, or by mail order. Each method is described below. Note that by registering you can receive a disk which has the latest version of the application (if you do not want a disk, then the registration fee is reduced - but only if you order from AKC via mail). If you do not receive your registration kit within 2-3 weeks, you can contact us via one of the methods provided under the Contacting Us help topic (or see the README.TXT file). Generally, once we have your order, you will receive your registration kit in the mail within 3-10 days. Please do not contact the Credit-Card-Order numbers regarding the status of the mailout, as they are an order-taking company only. A. REGISTERING BY PHONE, FAX, E-MAIL, OR MAIL USING A CREDIT CARD ***** FOR CREDIT CARD ORDERS ONLY ***** You can order with MC, Visa, Amex, or Discover from Public (software) Library by: o calling 800-2424-PsL or 713-524-6394; or o FAX to 713-524-6398; or o CIS Email to 71355,470; or o mailing credit card orders to PsL at P.O.Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705, USA. Please remember to provide your credit card number, the name on the card, expiry date, and signature, as well as the name of the product (Button Manager) and your return address. ***** THE ABOVE NUMBERS ARE FOR ORDERS ONLY ***** The $20US cost is the same as was detailed in the registration form. All credit card orders result in a disk of the latest version being sent to you. Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order, refunds, registration options, product details, technical support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses, etc., must be directed to AKC Applied Knowledge Corporation. Please refer to the Contacting Us help topic for information on how we can be reached. To insure that you get the latest version, PsL will notify us the day of your order and we will ship the registration kit directly to you. B. REGISTERING BY COMPUSERVE Compuserve has a shareware registration facility available to all its users. Follow this procedure to register Button Manager through Compuserve. a. From within Compuserve, type GO SWREG. This will take you to the Software registration area. b. Indicate that you would like to register Button Manager. It is quickest to access the Button Manager Registration by using ID #2823, but you can also search for it by name if necessary. c. Immediate Registration. By registering on this service, the registration fee of $20US will be charged to your Compuserve account, and they will immediately forward your name and address to us. We will then send the registration kit to you in the mail. C. REGISTERING BY MAIL Note that only cheque and money-order orders are processed by this method. If you wish to order by credit card, please consult the Credit Card Order topic, above. a. Fill in the Registration Form. This form can be produced by printing the associated help topic, or by printing the file REGISTER.TXT. The registration screen, which is shown to unregistered users when they start up Button Manager, has a button in the lower left corner which will allow you to edit a copy of the registration form. The button is called "Fill Form". b. Mail in the Registration Form, with the registration fee. Mail the registration form to the address stated on the form, with a cheque or money order for the amount you have indicated on the registration form. c. Register Product. Once your registration form has been received, it will be processed and you will receive a Registration Kit in the mail containing any disks you have ordered as well as your personal registration number. 5. CONTACTING US ================== We can be contacted in several ways, each of which is listed below. If you are waiting on a registration kit from us, please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. Generally, once we have your order, you will receive your registration kit in the mail within 3-10 days. Technical support can also be obtained by contacting us using any of the methods listed below. Mail: 6128 Red Willow Drive, Gloucester, Ontario, Canada, K1C 7J8 Phone: (613) 841-6020 Fax: (613) 841-6021 E-Mail on Compuserve: 70252,1364 E-Mail on Internet: 70252.1364@compuserve.com